The main long term driver for Big Data adoption will be the generation of new business models, while the short term drivers will be more focused on solving internal challenges such as improving data warehousing, increasing loyalty and customer experience management.

Telcos are not the natural providers of enterprise cloud services because they do not come from the software industry, according to Kassir Hussain, director of technology for Centrica/British gas, and a former O2, Orange and 3UK network specialist.